Two time European Rally Champion Hayden Paddon is to compete in next week’s Donegal International Rally replacing Matt Edwards seat in the Hyundai i20.
Hayden Paddon will team up with Dave Moynihan in his very first Donegal Rally to which he will bring plenty of starpower and attraction to already a very competitive Donegal lineup.
He was PWRC world champion in 2011 and won the New Zealand Rally Championship in 2008, 2009, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2023 he became the first non-European to be crowned European Rally Champion.
Following that up by retaining the European Rally Championship title in 2024 and winning the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
His star year came in the 2016 WRC Season which in the 4th round, the YPF Rally Argentina, Paddon took his – and New Zealand’s – first WRC win by 13.3 seconds from Sébastien Ogier. His co-driver, John Kennard also became the oldest co-driver to win a WRC round at 57 years of age he would go on to finish 4th in the standings that season.
In 2023 Hayden Paddon joined the Italian BRC Racing Team, and with the support of Hyundai New Zealand and Pirelli Tyres, put a 2023 European Rally Championship together.
Winning the first event of the season in Portugal, Hayden and John Kennard fought their way to a maiden European Rally Championship Title, becoming the first non-european driver to win said championship. Hayden also fought on his home grounds to win the 2023 New Zealand Rally Championship.
2024 saw Hayden and John Kennard put together another European Rally Championship title fight in the BRC Racing Team with the support of Hyundai New Zealand, Pirelli Tyres, and HMS Customer Racing.
Hayden and John had a tough fight throughout the season, taking their first and only win of the season at round 7 in Rali Ceredigion. Fighting off title fights from Mathieu Franceschi and Mikolaj Marczyk, Hayden managed to win back-to-back European Rally Championships.
Hayden also managed to win the 2024 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship with up and coming New Zealand co-driver Jared Hudson.
